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Here is my attempt at this great pattern. Not sure what the wood is, except thin! This is only my third attempt at spirals. Used a #1. Some lines became suggestions . Finished with beeswax/mineral oil.

Love this beautiful piece of live edge Cherry. Pattern is in the Library. For some reason it's blurry until you click on it.

Another Cartoon character for my collection. At a recent Art Show, a gentleman asked me if I could do a special Tazmanian Devil like the one he had tattooed on his arm. Basically, it was the Loony Tune character with the Tornado at the bottom, and it had a Dumbbell in one hand and a Wrench in the other. The inference, I think, of being a “Body Mechanic”. I found a ton of images available and found this image that I modified to mimic his tattoo and sent him a copy of my pattern for his approval. He liked it and said he would think about it and get back to me, but I feel the price tag was a little above what his pocketbook could handle. I will be happy if he does, but I don’t expect him to get back to me any time soon. In the meantime, I liked the original image and decided to make it as I found it. I converted the image into an 11” x 14” Scroll Saw Pattern. The cut panel is a 5/32” solid core Maple ply affixed to a 1/4” BB Ply backer. Color was added to both the Backer and the Cut Panel, with the original image as a guide, using Artist Acrylic Air Brush Paints. I think my coloration came out well and is close to the original. The painted and assembled panel was finished with multiple coats of Clear Gloss Acrylic Coating. The frame is my standard 1 3/4” wide rails, primed and painted black. I’ll post my pattern in pattern exchange for the Cartoon maker bunch among us. As usual, I welcome comments and critiques.

Just imagine, a Hegner is your backup. Most folks would love to have one as their primary. But I understand. I also have one and it sits unused because I have 2 Excaliburs and am more comfortable with them.

Very well done

very nice job

Every thing is fine with me. Pop up, notifications, searches. I am on highspeed fiber connection so everything is quick. don

That really looks great.

Hmmm. Yeah, I've been experiencing a bit of quirkyness since the last update too. Mostly around how popups work. Hopefully, a new one is coming soon. I think I need to optimize the SQL databases. I'm not a programmer or computer engineer, so it's a place I'm not too comfortable with. I'll look into it a bit more and see what I can do. I basically have to open up some time so that if something does go wrong, I have time to fix it or find help from someone smarter than me.

I guess I'm the only one with the Wen. I have had it since December and not a ounce of trouble. Very user friendly. I did watch Steve Good's video on the Wen and decided to give it a try. I do have my old Craftsman and Hegner as backups. I am not a heavy scroller I only do it for fun. I have read about other having issues with the Wen but I can only go on my experience with it. I bought mine off Amazon with a 150.00 gift card Amazon was advertising for taking out their credit card.

Great cutting on Einstein, Tbow, and love the pattern of you bowls.

Here’s my display rack. It’s fairly portable. It’s put together with pocket holes so it can be disassembled if necessary. If you want dimensions, I’ll post them later when I get in my shop.

Little Halloween light box I did few years ago.

These two are the closest I could find to being spooky. Watercolor pencils and white acrylic paint for the pilot. Acrylic paint for teeth and green magic marker for the Hulk.

This is today's blog post on my site. I wrote it starting at 4:30 AM as I reflected on a gift(s) I received Friday from my cousin... I got a little emotional. BEGIN>>>> Recently, my cousin surprised me with a collection of carving knives and gouges, belonging to Uncle Ronny, my late mother's brother. My cousin, after sharing images of some of my woodworking creations with him during a recent visit with her dad, he expressed his deep joy in witnessing a family tradition endure. At 90 years old, struggling with declining eyesight and unable to continue his own carving, he graciously offered to pass on his cherished tools to me. I will honor these tools, and continue the tradition. Every family has its traditions, its unique way of passing down wisdom, and cherished memories through the generations. In our family, that tradition will be built from love and the hands of a grandfather known as "Poppy." Taking on the moniker of my grandfather... "Poppy"... I reflect on my life, and I realize that one of my most cherished legacies is the creation of art, that of woodworking, which I'm eagerly preparing to pass on to my beloved grandson. Being a "Poppy" to my grandson is a role I hold close to my heart. It's a name that fills me with warmth and pride, as well as, warm memories of my own "Poppy", and the time we spent side-by-side, fishing, drawing, painting, carving, riding the NYC subway, and more. For it represents not only the bond between us but also the promise of continuing a tradition that has deep roots in our family. It is a name I strive to live up to as a grandfather. The smell of sawdust, the hum of a scroll saw, and the feel of a well-worn chisel in my hands are now the constants in my life. Scroll sawing and carving is more than just a hobby; it's a passion that has been a part of me for fifty years when I first entered the wood shop in seventh grade. As the years pass, I spend more hours in my workshop, crafting toys, puzzles, clocks, and art pieces, each piece bearing the mark of my heart and soul, a labor of love that I hope will bring joy to my family (and others) for generations to come. But, in my heart, I always knew that the true value of these creations lay not just in their beauty, but in the connection they would foster between me and my grandson. It brings me immeasurable joy to imagine the day when my grandson, with his wide eyes full of wonder, stands beside me in my workshop. I will teach him to respect the tools, honor the wood, to wield the tools of our hobby with care and precision. Together, we'll craft his first wooden toy, a simple yet magical creation that will be infused with love and guidance. These moments are not just about teaching woodworking skills. They are about forging a bond between us that will withstand the test of time. I want to share the stories of his great-great-grandparents, our triumphs, and our cherished memories as My Poppy and I worked side-by-side painting. For me... through these moments, I hope to pass down not just the craft of woodworking, but also the values of patience, perseverance, and creativity. The true gift, though, will come when the day arrives for my grandson to inherit his "Poppy's" tools. As he takes possession of these well-worn, but meticulously maintained, instruments of creation, he'll also inherit the responsibility of continuing our family's creative traditions. These tools, which have seen the birth of countless treasures and the formation of lasting memories, will now become his companions on a journey of self-discovery and artistic expression. In the passing of these tools, I'm passing down more than just instruments of woodwork. I'm passing down the love that has been poured into each piece I've crafted, the pride that comes with honing a skill over a lifetime, and the knowledge that, as "Poppy," I'll always be with him in spirit, guiding his hands as he shapes wood into something beautiful. I hope as I watch my grandson embrace the art of scroll sawing and carving, I'm filled with hope for the future. I know that, through our shared love of wood and creation, we are connecting the past with the present, and building a bridge to the future. The legacy of "Poppy" lives on, not just in the toys and art we create but in the bond between us that transcends time and generations. In the end, it's not the tangible items I leave behind that matter most, but the intangible lessons, values, and love that I pass on. As I look forward to the day my grandson takes the reins in the workshop, I'm filled with gratitude for the opportunity to be "Poppy" and for the legacy I have the privilege of leaving him. Image: Two of my Uncle Ronny's unfinished carvings, and a carving knife he made. 2nd Image, I found a couple photos of his carvings and a "self-portrait" carving.

I started with the two here, then saw other faces to try. I spray painted after I cut the face so it looked more like the insides of a pumpkin. also i cut bamboo skewer sticks as small dowels to be able to open back. then i used branches from a small dead tree, at the Y so can hang if want to with the top glued and brad nailed 20230925_165604.mp4

95% of my projects receive a minimum 4 coats of polyurethane( satin )and some up to 6 (painted or unpainted). Lightly sanding with a 1500 grit between each coat. Each coat is left to dry 1 day before applying the next. Once I’m satisfied with the number of coats I lightly sand the project with 1500 grit wet with bees wax wiping dry and polishing with a cheese cloth. The final result feels like glass to the touch. I’ve been using this process for over twenty years. Yes I know there are many other beautiful finishes but this is the one I prefer.

Even Clear varnish tends to yellow over time. And, I personally do not like oil finishes because even when they feel dry to the touch it will attract dust to the work. For the same reason I would not use any kind of wax finish. Most appropriate choices for uncolored or stained wood include Clear Spray orWipe-on Ppolyurathane and Clear Spray Lacquer. I use rattle can lacquer but it is available in bulk at much lower cost per use as long as you have the equipment to spray. For wood that you add color to, it depends on the paint type. Clear acrylic sprays are best for pieces painted with Acrylic (water base) Paints or stains. Polycrylic is a name brand that tends to be expensive, but I have found Krylon and some store brand maufacturers have Clear Acrylic protective coatings at much lower costs. I use Clear Spray Laquer over acrylic painted pieces also, with out any problems. A craft store, like Hobby Lobby here in the USA, has the acrylic spray cans at much lower cost that the hardware stores that only handle the Polycrylic brand. For any oil based painted pieces I would stick with polyurethane or lacquer. Both Lacquer and Poly create a hard durable surface. IMHO, if it good enough for most furniture manufactuers, it is good enough for Scroll work. Clear Acrylic coatings are also good, but, again in my opinion, not quite as durable as Poly. Lacquer and the acrylic coatings have the advantage of a very fast dry time, while poly takes forever to dry just to be able to handle, especially if the humidity is high. For me a BLO finish takes too much work and time, that to me is not warrented for the product our hobby produces. And, last, Poly is the only protective coating I will use for any piece that will hang outside.

The Winfield Collection has 4 pattern sets of the Mini Birdhouses. One set is the stand up patterns. They are Diana Thompson patterns. https://www.thewinfieldcollection.com/category/s?keyword=compound+cut+ornaments

Redline you not alone I stay in South Africa nobody has the Blade Tesion Set as they call it, it ticks me off because this is a vital spare part, can’t even get a expected delivery date. I tried in vain to get a machine shop to make me a few of the tension nut nobody is interested in helping you. Added to my frustration I have a stock of the tension rods, but I can’t get the nuts separately or complete. Ryobi, Wen, Record, Delta, Martlet to name a few are all the same footprint and the parts are interchangeable, yet nobody has stock.